Tote box

ABSTRACT

A plastic tote box for student use includes an enclosed box provided with a lid which extends to include the front wall of the box and a portion of the top wall where the lid is hinged. A pair of side horizontal grooves extend rearwardly of the hinge for receiving support slides so that the box may be stored in a bottomless desk or the like with the lid closed. In use, the box may be partially removed and the lid opened to gain access to the box while it is still supported on the slides. Alternatively, the box may be fully removed from the desk, turned on its back, and used as a carrying case. The lid includes a hand recess, and it is adapted so that the hand of a person carrying the box by its handle, holds the lid in a closed position.

Barecki et a1.

[ Jan. 21, 1975 [5 TOTE Box [75] Inventors: Chester ,1. Barecki, GrandRapids;

Donald Waleson, Wyoming, both of Mich.

[73] Assignee: American Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich.

[221 Filed: Mar. 8, 19.72

[21] Appl. No.; 232,715

521 U.S.Cl ..206/2l6,190/57,l50/l.6; 206/371, 224/45 N, 312/244 [5111111. C1 A45c 13/26, A45cl3/28 58 Field ofSearch 206/l7.l,lR, 16R;

190/48, 57; ISO/1.6; 220/31 S, 94 A; 312/255, 222, 223, 194, 330; 224/45N 11/1965 Protheroe 224/45 N 3,295,904 l/1967 Cobb 220/31 S 3,339,7819/1967 Schurman et a I 3,612,233 10/1971 Nagpal 190/57 PrimaryExaminer-William T. Dixson, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Dawson, Tilton,Fallon & Lungmus [57] ABSTRACT A plastic tote box for student useincludes an enclosed .box provided with a lid which extends to includethe front wall of the box and a portion of the top wall where the lid ishinged. A pair of side horizontal grooves extend rearwardly of the hingefor receiving support slides so that the box may be stored in abottomless desk or the like with the lid closed. In use, the box may bepartially removed and the lid opened to gain access to the box while-itis still supported on the slides. Alternatively, the box may be fullyremoved from the desk, turned on its back, and used as a carrying case.The lid includes a hand recess, and it is adapted so that the hand of apersoncarrying the box by its handle, holds the lid in a closedposition.

' 12 Claims, 25 Drawing Figures SHEET 2 OF 6 PATENTEU JAN21 I975 SHEET t0F 6 I PATENTEO JAN 2 I I975 FIG. I6 360 PATENTED M21 1915 SHEET 6 OF 6FIG. 24,

TOTE BOX BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY The present invention relates to a casefor use by a student in storing and transporting books or other classmaterials.

Heretofore, class materials, particularly laboratory materials, havebeen stored in what have become known as tote trays which are plastictrays having four upstanding side walls and an open top. The upper edgesof the side walls are curved outwardly to form ledges which act to holdthe tray on horizontal slides in a storage position. Further, enclosedboxes have been used for transporting and storing books and the like,but to our knowledge, they have not been adapted for storage onhorizontal slides as have the tote trays. Further, such enclosed boxesas have been known have been cumbersome in that in order to gain access,the entire top of the box has to be removed.

The present invention provides for a tote box which is formedinto anintegral body from an upper portion and a lower portion.'.The twoportions are made of thermoplastic material and they are securedtogether about a peripheral flange which extends along the back of theassembledboxv and forwardly along a substantial portion of the twosides. The peripheral flange on the sides of the box forms the lowersurface of a horizontal groove which is adapted to receive supportingslidesof a bottomless desk or the like.

The upper portion of the box includes a lid at its forward end which isaffixed to the upper portion of the box along a hinge line extendingacrossthe width of the box. The lid forms the forward wall of the closedbox, and it extends into the top surface of the box to the hinge line.Thelid also includes side triangular gussets so that when the lid isopen, the front wall, as well as a portion of the top and side walls isremoved to permit greater access into the box.

When the lid is in a closed position, it includes upper horizontalsurfaces which serve as an-extension of the support groove and as aguide for a supporting slide. At

the forward end of each of these horizontal 'suraces on the lid there isan upstanding stop member adapted to engage an associated slide andthereby limit the inser tion of the tote box into a desk.

The central portion of the lid is formed into a hand recess, at thebottom of which there is formed a finger recess defined at its forwardportion by a transverse latch support bar which includes a latch member.A handle is formed at the central forward portion of the bottom of thetotef box, and it is adpated to engage the latch. Thus, when a studentcarries the closed box, the

box is rotated to-a vertical position'from its horizontal.

storage position, and the student graps both the handle on the base ofthe tote box and the latch support bar on the lid, thereby firmlyholding-the box inits closed position and preventing dislocation ofelements in the.

box.

Thepresentinvention, by having the openable lid extending only partiallyinto the top wall and includingto spill out. Further, with the presentinvention, when the tote box is stored under a table top, the box may bepartially removed from its storage position position and the lid openedwhile the box is still supported in the desk. I-Ieretofore, tote boxeshad to be completely removed in order to be opened or, again, thecontents would fall out.

The box of the present invention is provided with a pencil holder forholding pencils and pens securely within the box, and the pencil holderforms a trough which cooperates with a portion of the handle in the baseof the box to hold the pencils in place when the box is in either avertical or a horizontal position. 1

The lid of the box includes a lipportion which overlaps the matingportion of the bottom of the box in the closed position. This lip servesnot only to strengthen the lid of the box, but to prevent the entranceof dust and rain into the box.

The lid is easily opened by simply inserting a thumb beneath the handle,engaging the latch supported by the lid and twisting it rearwardly todisengage thehandle. The same twisting'motion forces the lid upwardlyafter the latch is disengaged.

The box is preferably formed by heat sealing an upper and a lowersection together under pressure, and the disclosed embodiment therebyforms an interior bead for strengthening the joined parts.

The outer surfaces of the tote box are textured and the pattern is suchthat it does not interfere with writing. Hence, the box can be held in astudents lap and used to provide a writing surface, and the hingebetween the lid andthe main portion of the tote box does not interferewith the writing.

A plurality of laterally extending gussets reinforce the upper flangedefining the side grooves for receiving the support slides, and theyprevent collapsing of the box when it is stored on the slides.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparentto persons skilled in the art from the-following detailed description ofapreferred embodiment accompanied by the attached drawing whereinidentical reference n-umeralsrefer to like parts in the various views.

THE DRAWING.

FIG. 1 is a three-quarter'frontal perspective view of a tote boxconstructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with the lid of the tote box open toshow a latch and a pencil tray;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the front end of the bottomof the tote box with the pencil tray above a row of projections thatsecure it. to the box itself; a

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the pencil tray portion of thebox taken through the'sight line 4-4 of FIG. 3; 3

.FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 but with the pencil trayin assembled relation with the bottom of the tote box;

. FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through the sight line6-6 of FIG; 5;

FIG. 7 is another fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 5 butwith the pencil tray fully secured to' the bottom of the box;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 6 taken throughsight line 8-8 of FIG. 7;.

FIG. 9 is a close up sectional view of the pencil tray with the boxturned upright;

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the upper and lower parts ofthe tote box as they appear before being joined together;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary exploded sectional view of the upper and lowerportions of the box taken at 11-11 of FIG. 10, above and below,illustrating the construction in the area of the joint;

FIG. 12 is another fragmentary sectional view, similar to FIG. 11, butwith the upper section resting on the wall of the lower section; beforethe application of heat;

FIG. 13 is still another fragmentary sectional view of the same area,but showing the upper and lower parts joined together as a result of theapplication of heat and pressure;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the latching handgrip in the closed position;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary sectional view of the latching hand grip, takenthrough sight line 15-15 of FIG. 14, the latch being shown in solidline;

.FIG. 16 is a fragmentary perspective view of the latching hand gripwith the tote box open;

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary sectional view of the latching hand grip takenthrough sight line 17-17 of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the box top andlid at the hinge taken through sight line 18-18 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is a three-quarter rear perspective view of the closed tote box;

FIG. 20 is a side view of the tote box standing in the upright position;

FIG. 21 is a front view of the tote box in its stored position;

FIG. 22 Ba sectional view of the table top taken through sight line22-22 of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through sight line 23-23of FIG. 20;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a bottomless book storage studentstation wherein the tote box resting on transverse tube supports; and

FIG. 25 is a sectional view taken through sight line 25-25 of FIG. 24,showing more clearly how the tote box rests on the round or square crosstubes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The tote box of the present invention is intendedto have two principal orientations. One of these is referred to as ahorizontal or storage position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the totebox is normally in this position when being stored on slides under atable top. The other position isreferred to as the 'carrying" position,illustrated in FIG. 20, wherein the box rests on a flat surface,supported by the back of the box. The back, front, top, etc. of the boxrefer to a person's viewing the box in its normal storage position, thefront of the box being closest to the observer. The front is facingdownwardly and leftwardly in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 10, a tote box generally designated is madein two parts including a lower part or base 31 and an upper part or top32. The top 32 includes a flat top plate 33 covering a larger portion ofits total area, and a lid 34 which can be raised about a hinge linerepresented by the dashed line 34a to the position shown in FIG. 2. Alatch 35 on the lid 34 engages a hand grip 36 on the base 31 to hold thelid in a closed position. Entrance is gained to the interior of the boxby disengaging the latch 35 from the hand grip. When the box is closedas in FIGS. 1, 14 and 15, a latch support bar 37 becomes part of thehand grip so that there is no danger of the tote box being accidentallyopened when it is being carried. That is, in the latched position, thelatch-support bar 37 aligns with the hand grip 36 and is spacedoutwardly of the finger-insertion aperture 370 so that a person holdsboth the bar 37 and the hand grip and thereby prevents accidentalopening of the lid when carrying the box.

The lid 34 includes a flat top surface 34b which lies in the same planeas the top surface 33 of the tote box so as to form a continuous writingsurface when the box is removed from its storage location. At the frontof the lid 34 there is formed a generally vertical recess 34c whichpem'iits the entry of a hand to gain access to the handle 36 and latchsupport bar 37 in carryingthe tote box. It will be observed from FIGS.1, 2 and 21 that the lid 34 comprises the major portion of the front ofthe box and sides of the lid are inclined running from a point adjacentthe bottom of the front wall to a point approximately one-third thelength of the box (when viewed from the side as in FIG. 22). Thus, whenthe tote box is open, access is permitted both through the front andthrough a portion of the top of the box to the contents. This has beenfound to greatly facilitate the use of the box in putting storagearticles into it and in retrieving the articles while, at the same time,reserving the front portion of the box for pencils, as will be disclosedbelow.

To open the tote box when the lid is latched closed it is necessary onlyto push inward on the lower portion of the latch support bar 37 whileholding the hand grip 36, this rotates the latch 35 until it clears theedge of the hand grip stiffener flange 38 (FIGS. 15 and 17). A thumbrecess 36a in the hand grip 36 in front of the latch 35 facilitatesunlatching with the thumb by guiding the thumb to the latch 35. To closethe tote box lid, FIGS. 16. and 17, the lid 34 or the latch support bar37 is pushed down. The lower part of the latch surface as at 39 istapered so that it will slide down the rear edge 40 of the hand gripstiffener flange 38 until its upper catch surface 41 snaps under thelower edge 42 of the hand grip stiffener flange 38.

Before the sections 31, 32 of the box are assembled, a pencil tray 43 issecured to the box bottom 44 (see 7 FIGS. 3 through 9) by theapplication of heat and pressure. The sections 31 and 32 as well as thetray 43 are molded from a thermoplastic material. A pencil tray flange45 isperforated at 46 in several places so it will fit over projections47 on the upper surface of the bottom 44 as in FIGS. 5 and 6. When heatand pressure are applied, the plastic melts so that the pencil trayflange 45 becomes a part of the box bottom 44 and the projections 47 aresmoothed in flange 45 as in FIGS. 8 and 9. The pencil tray is providedwith prongs 48 which are spaced outwardly from the bottom 44 and spacedlaterally from each other to form an elongated trough with access areas480 (FIG. 7) for retrieving the pencils. The prongs 48 are long enoughto hold several pencils as at 49 in FIG. 9 when the tote box is lyingdown or in the upright position FIGS. 8 and 9. It will be observed thatthe rear part of the handle 36 extends upwardly at 36a (FIGS. 3-9) tocooperate with the pencil holder 43 in securing pencils or pens in placein the holder.

The steps in assembling the tote box are illustrated in FIGS. through13. Each side of the upper portion 32 contains two vertically-spacedflanges 50 and 51 which form a groove 52 for support slides. The rearportion of the lower flange 51 is tapered downwardly as at 510 in FIGS.1 and 2 to form an inclined guide surface when the tote box is beingplaced on slides. The upper flange 50 is reinforced by a series ofgussets 53 spaced along the edge of the top surface 33. There is anarrow depending tongue or ridge 54 along the lower edge of the lowerflange 51 which is adapted to contact the upper edge 55 of the wall 56of the lower part-31 (see FIG. 11). A tongue 57 is located along theouter edge wall 56 and it extends outwardly as far as the outermostportion of the lower flange 51, refer to FIG. 12. As heat and pressureare. applied to the flange 51 and tongue 57 from above and below, thethermoplastic material in the contacting edges 54 and 55 is squeezedtogether and oozes out to fill the groove 58, on the outside and forms aslight bead 59 on'the inside corner, best seen in FIG. 13.

FIG. 18 illustrated a thinner area 60 in the lid 34 which provides ahinge along the line 34a. Thevthinner line is obtained by having a smallarea in the top 33 of very thin plastic material, with the groove formedby lack of the material being on the inside while the outside surface 61remains continuously smooth (though the surface is textured) and levelfor a good appearance, and ease of writing on the outside surface Thefragmentary sectional view shows the flat top 33 of the upper portion atthe right and thelid 34 flat in the closed position. In the positionshown in dotted line at 62, the lid is shown'partially opened, while inthe position shown by dash and dot line 63, the lid is raised 90relative to the level surface 33, and in the position shown by dash anddouble dot line 64, the lid is shown in the full opened position whereinthe top of the lid is folded back to form an acute angle with the flatsurface 33. The preferred material out of which the box is made ispolyethylenewhich istough and durable so the hinge will last a verylongtime. Referring nowto FIG. 19, the tote'box includes a rear wall 65and elongated flanges 66 on the sides. The flanges 66 are formed byjoining thelower flange 51 of the'upper portion and the 72 on a set ofhorizontal slides 71 designed-for this pur- I pose. It will be observedthat the lid 34 is provided with horizontal surfaces 70 which arealigned with and act as a continuation of the lower surface of groove52. At the. forward end of each of the surfaces 70 is a stop member 70awhich extends transverse of the groove 52 to block it. The stop members70a are intended to engage the forward edges of the slides 71 to limitinsertion of the tote box into the desk, thus obviating the need forsome stop mechanism on the desk itself which may also, then, receive atote tray in place of the tote box, if desired.

A principal advantage of the tote box of the present invention is thatthe tote box can be pulled part of the way out from under the table top72, as in FIG. 22,

then the lid 34 can be raised to gain entrance to the box These supporttubes may be square or round as shown.

As best seen in FIG. 23, a forward edge 76 of the lid 34 of the tote boxhas a flap 77 extending beyond it to add strength to the box, to alignthe edge 76 of the lid with the upper edge 78 of the bottom portion 31of the box, and to provide an overlap to keep out dust and moisture-fromthe box which could enter the'otherwise unprotected opening.

Thus, a student can store the tote box at his student station while inclass, carry his books with him from class to'class, and carry them homewith him in the tote box, even in the worst weather, without exposingthe tongue 57 of the lower part, as already described. The

flange continues around the rear of the box as at 67 and protrudes wellbeyond the rear wall 65. Vertical ribs 68 are spaced to the sides of therear wall 65 and form support surfaces 68a which liein a plane with therear surface of flange 67 for supporting the box when it is stood in thecarrying position. The rear. wall 65 forms an.

angle of about 3 relative to a true perpendicular with the bottom 44,and the side walls form similar angles to permit sufficient draft forthe removal of the part from the forming mold. From FIG. 20 it can beseen that the front surface 69 is about 3 from being perpendicular tothe top surface 34bof the lid to allow the necessary draft also forfacilitating removal from the mold.

Referring to FIGS. 19 and 20 the groove 52 can be seen to be formedbetween the upper flange 50 and the wide peripheral flange 66 (which inturn is formed by books to the elements.

- Having thus described in detail the preferred embodiment of theinventive tote box, persons skilled in the art will be able to modifycertain of the structure which has been illustrated and to substituteequivalent elements for those disclosed while continuing to practice theprinciple of the, invention; and it is, therefore, intended that allsuch modifications and substitutions be covered as they are embracedwithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

v 1. A tote box for transporting and storing books and the likecomprising: an integral body having a top, a bottom, forming a handleadjacent the center forward portion thereof, and four upright sidewalls, a major portion of one of said upright walls above said handlebeing integrally formed with a portion of said top to form a lid,including a hand recess area in the upright side wall thereof and atransverse latch support bar extending across said recess 10 provide afinger recess,

said latch support bar being positioned adjacent the closing edge ofsaid-lid and alignable with said handle formed in the bottom of saidtote box when said lid is placed in a closed position, whereby a persongrasping said handle of said box when said lid is in a closed positionwill also grasp said latch support bar and thereby hold said lid in aclosed position during transportation;

hinge means joining said lid to the remainder of said to thereby openone of said walls and at least a portion of said top; sliding supportchannel means formed integrally with opposing upright side walls of saidtote box and extendingrearwardly only from said hinge line for formingan elongated channel on either side of said box parallel to the bottomand adapted to receive stationary slide supports for supporting said boxin partially extended position, whereby said box may be partiallyremoved from its associated slide supports and said lid may beselectively raised to an open position while the box is held by saidslide supports.

2. The article of claim 1 wherein said latch support bar'furthercomprises a latch and said handle further includes a latch-engagingsurface extending rearwardly thereof and adapted to hold the latch ofsaid lid in locked position when said lid is closed.

3. The article of claim 2 wherein said handle further includes a thumbrecess are aligned with the latch of said lid when said lid is closedwhereby a thumb of a person is guided by said thumb recess to engagesaid latch and a twisting motion will twist said latch support bar anddisengage said latch from said edge thereby to open said lid.

.4. The article of claim 1 further comprising pencil holder meansextending transversely of the bottom of said box and defining a penciltrough, the handle of said box being raised adjacent the open side ofsaid trough to restrict the movement of pencils in said trough and tocooperate with said pencil holder to prevent accidental dislodgement ofsaid pencils therefrom.

5. The article of claim 1 wherein said box is formed from a base portioncomprising a single piece molded at one time and including a back wall,the major portion of first and second upright opposite side wallsextending fowardly of said back wall, and a bottom wall; and a topportion including a top plate, a front wall and the complementaryportions of said first and second side walls, 'said top plate includinga fixed flat surface rearward of said hinge line .and a co-planar flatsurface extending forwardly of said hinge line, said base and topportions each being provided with an outwardly extending peripheralflange, said portions being joined together along said flange to providean integral reinforcing flange and an interior reinforcing bead.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein each of said slide means comprises aninwardly extending groove formed by an upper horizontal flange extendingoutwardly of said top portion and a lower horizontal flange formed fromthe joined peripheral flanges of said top and base portions of said box,said box further comprising outwardly extending reinforcing gussets forstrengthening said upper flange and preventing collapsing of said box insaid storage position. I

7. The article of claim 1 wherein said box is adapted to be placed in ahorizontal storage position and a vertical carrying position, said boxfurther comprising a plurality of spaced feet molded integrally with theback thereof and adapted to support said box in said carrying position,whereby said lid may be opened to gain access into said box when saidbox is placed in said carrying position.

8. The article of claim 7 wherein said lid further comprises aperipheral overlapping lip formed about the juncture between said lidand the base portion of said box to cover the juncture between the twowhen said lid is placed in a closed position.

9. The article of claim 7 wherein said lid further comprises horizontalsurfaces aligned with the lower surface of said side recesses when saidlid is closed and provided with forward upright stop members forlimiting the insertion of said box beneath a table top.

10. A tote box comprising an integral body formed from a top portion anda base portion; said top portion including a top plate extending fromthe back of the assembled box forwardly to a hinge line and a lidhingedly connected to said top plate at said hinge line and including aco-planar extension of said top plate and a front closure wall defininga hand recess area at the center thereof communicating with a fingerrecess area partially defined by a transverse latch bar; said baseportion including a flat bottom and upstanding rear and side wallsextending to said top portion to enclose said box; a handle formed insaid bottom beneath the hand recess area of said lid when said lid isclosed and including means for latching to said latch bar of said lid;whereby when said lid is closed and said case is carried, the hand of aperson will grasp both said handle of said base portion'and the latchbar of said lid, holding them together and in latched relation.

11. A tote box comprising an integral rigid body including a bottomwall, a back wall and a pair of side walls extending upwardly from saidbottom wall, a top wall extending parallel to said bottom wall andintegral with the tops of said back and side walls; and a lid forming atleast a portion of said top wall and a front wall hingedly connected tosaid top wall and adapted for movement between a closed position and anopen position, means for latching said lid to said bottom wall when insaid closed position; handle means in said bottom wall for carrying saidcase; and means defining grooves extending parallel to said bottom wallin said box and adapted to receive horizontal slides for supporting saidbox in a storage position, said grooves extending rearwardly of saidhinge connection between limit the insertion of said box into a storagearea.

1. A tote box for transporting and storing books and the likecomprising: an integral body having a top, a bottom, forming a handleadjacent the center forward portion thereof, and four upright sidewalls, a major portion of one of said upright walls above said handlebeing integrally formed with a portion of said top to form a lid,including a hand recess area in the upright side wall thereof and atransverse latch support bar extending across said recess to provide afinger recess, said latch support bar being positioned adjacent theclosing edge of said lid and alignable with said handle formed in thebottom of said tote box when said lid is placed in a closed position,whereby a person grasping said handle of said box when said lid is in aclosed position will also grasp said latch support bar and thereby holdsaid lid in a closed position during transportation; hinge means joiningsaid lid to the remainder of said top along a hinge line, whereby accessto said box may be gained by opening said lid about said hinge means tothereby open one of said walls and at least a portion of said top;sliding support channel means formed integrally with opposing uprightside walls of said tote box and extending rearwardly only from saidhinge line for forming an elongated channel on either side of said boxparallel to the bottom and adapted to receive stationary slide supportsfor supporting said box in partially extended position, whereby said boxmay be partially removed from its associated slide supports and said lidmay be selectively raised to an open position while the box is held bysaid slide supports.
 2. The article of claim 1 wherein said latchsupport bar further comprises a latch and said handle further includes alatch-engaging surface extending rearwardly thereof and adapted to holdthe latch of said lid in locked position when said lid is closed.
 3. Thearticle of claim 2 wherein said handle further includes a thumb recessare aligned with the latch of said lid when said lid is closed whereby athumb of a person is guided by said thumb recess to engage said latchand a twisting motion will twist said latch support bar and disengagesaid latch from said edge thereby to open said lid.
 4. The article ofclaim 1 further comprising pencil holder means extending transversely ofthe bottom of said box and defining a pencil trough, the handle of saidbox being raised adjacent the open side of said trough to restrict themovement of pencils in said trough and to cooperate with said pencilholder to prevent accidental dislodgement of said pencils therefrom. 5.The article of claim 1 wherein said box is formed from a base portioncomprising a single piece molded at one time and including a back wall,the major portion of first and second upright opposite side wallsextending fowardly of said back wall, and a bottom wall; and a topportion including a top plate, a front wall and the complementaryportions of said first and second side walls, said top plate including afixed flat surface rearWard of said hinge line and a co-planar flatsurface extending forwardly of said hinge line, said base and topportions each being provided with an outwardly extending peripheralflange, said portions being joined together along said flange to providean integral reinforcing flange and an interior reinforcing bead.
 6. Thesystem of claim 5 wherein each of said slide means comprises an inwardlyextending groove formed by an upper horizontal flange extendingoutwardly of said top portion and a lower horizontal flange formed fromthe joined peripheral flanges of said top and base portions of said box,said box further comprising outwardly extending reinforcing gussets forstrengthening said upper flange and preventing collapsing of said box insaid storage position.
 7. The article of claim 1 wherein said box isadapted to be placed in a horizontal storage position and a verticalcarrying position, said box further comprising a plurality of spacedfeet molded integrally with the back thereof and adapted to support saidbox in said carrying position, whereby said lid may be opened to gainaccess into said box when said box is placed in said carrying position.8. The article of claim 7 wherein said lid further comprises aperipheral overlapping lip formed about the juncture between said lidand the base portion of said box to cover the juncture between the twowhen said lid is placed in a closed position.
 9. The article of claim 7wherein said lid further comprises horizontal surfaces aligned with thelower surface of said side recesses when said lid is closed and providedwith forward upright stop members for limiting the insertion of said boxbeneath a table top.
 10. A tote box comprising an integral body formedfrom a top portion and a base portion; said top portion including a topplate extending from the back of the assembled box forwardly to a hingeline and a lid hingedly connected to said top plate at said hinge lineand including a co-planar extension of said top plate and a frontclosure wall defining a hand recess area at the center thereofcommunicating with a finger recess area partially defined by atransverse latch bar; said base portion including a flat bottom andupstanding rear and side walls extending to said top portion to enclosesaid box; a handle formed in said bottom beneath the hand recess area ofsaid lid when said lid is closed and including means for latching tosaid latch bar of said lid; whereby when said lid is closed and saidcase is carried, the hand of a person will grasp both said handle ofsaid base portion and the latch bar of said lid, holding them togetherand in latched relation.
 11. A tote box comprising an integral rigidbody including a bottom wall, a back wall and a pair of side wallsextending upwardly from said bottom wall, a top wall extending parallelto said bottom wall and integral with the tops of said back and sidewalls; and a lid forming at least a portion of said top wall and a frontwall hingedly connected to said top wall and adapted for movementbetween a closed position and an open position, means for latching saidlid to said bottom wall when in said closed position; handle means insaid bottom wall for carrying said case; and means defining groovesextending parallel to said bottom wall in said box and adapted toreceive horizontal slides for supporting said box in a storage position,said grooves extending rearwardly of said hinge connection between saidlid and top wall.
 12. The box of claim 11 wherein said lid includes sidegussets providing extensions of the side walls of said box, each gussetincluding a horizontal surface extending forwardly of the lower surfaceof an associated groove and having an upwardly extending member adaptedto engage a slide received in a groove and to limit the insertion ofsaid box into a storage area.